Life in occupied Kherson is grim

the names of people who have gone missing hang from trees in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since March. The city’s biggest shopping centre lies in ruins. Local banks have closed, and companies have started paying salaries in Russian roubles. Ukrainians can open accounts at one of two new Russian banks, but only if they get a Russian passport.Ukrainian mobile numbers no longer work. Instead people with internet at home sometimes place their routers close to their windows, so that passers-by can connect. Schools are preparing to start teaching the Russian curriculum; staff who oppose the occupation have been sacked. “Russia is here for ever,” proclaims a billboard. Yulia Gladkaya, a local blogger, says, “We’ve gone back in time 30 years.”